Present tense
The present tense is the tense (form of a verb) that is often used to express:
- Action at the present time
- A state of being
- A habitual action
- An occurrence in the near future
- An action that occurred in the past and continues up to the present
There are two common types of present tenses found in most Indo-European languages: the present indicative (in the indicative mood and the present subjunctive (subjunctive mood).
English present indicative tense
In English, the present tense is subdivided into the following forms:
- Present Simple: "I go to school every day.""She goes to school"
- Present Continuous: "You are being rude." (at this moment)
- Present Perfect Simple: "I have had two computers."
- Present Perfect Continuous: "She has been living in London for a year."
Strictly speaking, these different present tenses are actually aspects.
Spanish present indicative tense
In Spanish, the present tense is used almost identically to that of English. Conjugation:
| hablar | comer | insistir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablo | como | insisto |
| tú | hablas | comes | insistes |
| él | habla | come | insiste |
| nosotros | hablamos | comemos | insistimos |
| vosotros | habláis | coméis | insistís |
| ellos | hablan | comen | insisten |
French present indicative tense
In French, the present tense is used almost identically to that of English. Conjugation:
| parler | prendre | finir | partir | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | parle | prends | finis | pars |
| tu | parles | prends | finis | pars |
| il | parle | prend | finit | part |
| nous | parlons | prenons | finissons | partons |
| vous | parlez | prenez | finissez | partez |
| ils | parlent | prennent | finissent | partent |
To express the present continuous, expressions such as "en train de" or "en cours de" are frequently used.
Jean est en train de manger. John is eating, John is in the middle of eating.
On est en train de chercher un nouvel appartement. We're looking for a new apartment, we're in the process of finding a new apartment.
German present indicative tense
In German, the present tense is used in a similar fashion. However it has no present continuous tense. Conjugation:
| gehen | |
|---|---|
| ich | gehe |
| du | gehst |
| es | geht |
| wir | gehen |
| ihr | geht |
| sie | gehen |
See also
External links
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